Preface Notes I had several urges to write a fiction concerning the Suzumiya Haruhi series mainly in part with my desire to see more interaction between Kyon and Nagato Yuki. Ever since I saw The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (film by Kyoto Animation), I had a fanboy-ish reaction to seeing the alternate Nagato with emotions. A work of fiction authored by Luppi-tan helped, too.

Depending on your monitor, be sure to choose the best view for your eyes (3/4 or 1/2 page view).

Summary Some promises are kept, others are secret, and others are broken. Some are simply lost through time, only to be remembered once again.

Disclaimer(s) I am not Kyon.

Unspoken

It was only yesterday I had known when exactly Haruhi wanted us to meet by the station, and only then did I know of the absolute madness that would come with that day.

I was on my bed reading a book about Norse mythology, a title lent to me by the mysterious Nagato Yuki, who, incidentally, just happened to bump into me while I walked home from the supermarket last week after my sister continuously nagged at my feet to buy her something sweet to eat.

I dragged myself from my bed, never wanting to as the bed and I shared a mutual relationship, hearing my bed scream "I'm always ready for you" and thus quickly I darted from the room, taking only a few moments to gather the thick coat and scarf I needed to protect myself from the dangers of lack of warmth.

Of course, keeping myself from the heat during the summer was never a good idea, seeing as how I always ended up by the public swimming pool in an event organized by Haruhi. I never wanted to go through that again, seeing as I experienced that more than fifteen thousand times without memory of all instances, thank goodness. I might have actually gone and told the SOS Brigade chief that I was John Smith, and have her do something about that, or maybe simply just ask Nagato to tell us from the beginning that we were in an infinite time loop so we would have more breathing room on what to do. Come to think of it, why didn't I do that in the first place? Oh well, now I know Nagato is at least five hundred ninety eight years old, and she still looks rather young for her age.

The wind stepped up quite a bit, and I held my arms close. Somehow, somewhere, this December 20, I was forced outside of my heaven and into the cold world outside. My sister had a knack for sweet foods, especially hot warm brownies around this time of the year. I couldn't bear too sugar, although the stuff in moderation is good.

Just yesterday I was in this same situation, except now I walked in the opposite direction of North High. When was the last time I walked down to the area near the station? It was just a few days ago, wasn't it, when Haruhi asked me to get the heater and do gawd knows what to Asahina-san while I was gone?

I still don't know what happened that day. Nagato probably witnessed it all, but I never bothered asking her. Probably Haruhi dressing up Asahina-san in a new outfit that I'd never get to see again.

My eyes caught sight of the station, where the SOS Brigade would often meet for various reasons. The first time was when Haruhi dragged the four of us out to search for anything mysterious. I never bothered to actually look around, much to Haruhi's dismay, and merely walked around with Asahina-san, afterwards went to the library with Nagato. Then there's summer, oh, gosh, that uneventful summer. I'll be sure to bet all in the next time that happens.

On the opposite end, I saw, was the café. A pang of guilt shot through me, as immediately my eyes turned to the ground as soon as I looked through the windows, seeing the figures inside which vaguely reminded me of the people I left behind. Everything seemed the same back there, everything but the shy bookworm Literature Club girl who could openly express emotion. Something about that girl really got to me, and it pained me extremely to return the Literature Club application to her.

I finally arrived at the market, saved from the cold outside. Finally! I could get some heat until I had to go back home again. I grabbed a pack of brownies for my sister, paid the cashier, and headed out. Well, it'd be cold by the time I got home, but unlike some foods, brownies can be heated up again. My sister can deal with it.

The automatic doors parted ways with me, and the frigid gust of wind drained all the warmth from my body. So sudden. However, the sight before me was something I had never expected. The sun had just set a few minutes ago, and the moon came about, quickly reminding me of the instance when Nagato met me after everybody else had left the hospital.

I shook myself, my body desperately wanting to get back into the safe comforts of my bed. That was all I really needed before I turned, and stopped in shock.

"Nagato?"

What was she doing outside during a time like this? Rather, when was the last time she ever went outside other than to participate in activities spontaneously created by our out of this world chief? Well, there was that time when she handed me a book to read, which I quickly got bored of, only to skim through the pages and find a book mark with instructions. Or else, only in emergencies, or if the situation called for it, or if somebody from the SOS Brigade was in danger, she might come out and block a laser from passing through your eye and burning everything along the way. Not that it happened to me, of course.

She blinked, her face showing little of what she might be feeling underneath. Then again, she was always like that. Only slight changes of her eyes, her mouth, would reveal anything. The Integrated Data Thought Entity programmed Nagato with little emotion, why, though? I pondered about this a while ago, but nevertheless, the thought kept resurfacing as a "What if?". Nevertheless, in this world Nagato is how she is.

"Why are you out right now?" I asked, to receive several more blinks and a cool expression.

Softly, she told me, "Tea." Clad in her school uniform, which she seems to wear consistently regardless of the circumstances, she stood still, as if waiting for me to say something else. Her gaze, deep and cool, hasn't changed since the first day she pointed at the floor of the clubroom, bringing to my attention the garments scattered by the girls who had just went out the door dressed as bunnies.

Tea. Huh. So that's why she's here? I forgot to mention Nagato's responses never did manage to last at least ten seconds, with exceptions to the times she tried to explain what a laser was, and the time when she... ugh, that really brings back memories I'd rather forget, of the person who tried to take my life, the first time because she wanted to provoke a reaction from Haruhi, and the second time because...

...well, I chose this world, after all.

She protected me both times. I'm grateful to her for that.

That being said, I wouldn't mind buying a Christmas present for her. I know I owe her a fair deal, but if I did choose to buy a present for her, what would she like? Books? That would be too obvious, she has too many of those already. She has the library, too. Oh, whatever, I have a few days before Christmas, anyway. What would Nagato want, though, besides books? I've seen her visibly bored over fifteen-thousand times, seen her eyes slightly flicker when I held her hands, seen her read books... what would Nagato want?

"Nagato, do you go out often?" She wanted me to say something, I guess, but I didn't know what. That's what her eyes told me.

Blinking, her pose never faltering, she responded, "No. Only if there is a need to."

She looked surreal in the moonlight, surrounded by snow.

Something seemed really off here. What the hell is this mood? Why do I have this feeling of awkwardness?

C'mon, say something, Kyon! Say something! I know Nagato isn't the most sociable person, but you can at least say something!

I stared at her, meeting her supposedly blank gaze. If a person were to walk by right now and look at this situation, he would most likely think we're having a romantic moment. I feared Taniguchi, if he was to walk by at this very moment, he would definitely pester me about this the next time we met again. No, knowing him, he'd spread the rumor that there was something going on between Nagato and me, and if that got into the ears of a certain person... damn it, I really, really don't feel like kissing another sleeping beauty just to save the world. I only did it last time because I wanted to get back to this world. There was no romantic notion behind that action, whatsoever. Nothing, you hear me!

I hadn't realized it yet, but Nagato had raised her hand and pointed at the pack of brownies I still hadn't stuffed inside my coat, to save my hand from frostbite. In her other hand was probably a book she was going to return to the library.

"Oh, these? These are brownies." Hopefully that was a good enough explanation, even though it didn't even last ten seconds.

Her eyes darted slowly between me and the package I held up. Could Nagato possibly want this pack of brownies? I don't ever recall her serving anything else other than tea and some scrupulous information about time travel while at her apartment complex.

Unsure, I proceeded. "Do you want some?"

She merely nodded, preferring simple gestures when words were not necessary. How she could withstand the cold, probably because she is who she is. She never sweats, shivers... a memory of her shivering not too long ago popped up, but I suppressed it, seeing as how that memory was from another world.

"Here." Nagato took the package of four from me and held it close to her. She closed her eyes for a moment, as if in deep thought, then opened them again, this time, holding a book to me.

Did she want me to read this one? From the title, I guessed something about Norse mythology would be discussed, something I'd probably not be interested in, but Nagato rarely ever lends me books to read, so maybe there might be a hint, a bookmark, of sorts, something she preferred to tell by writing rather than by mouth.

I'll be waiting at 7 PM in the park in front of Kouyouen Station.

Right. That was you, wasn't it, Nagato?

"Read it," she told me in her soft voice, her head hung low, something I found quite odd. I looked at the book — it didn't look like something was tampered. Although, if she's willing to lend a library book to me for some time, that would mean she wanted this back, right?

Yare yare.

Nagato entered the market, to purchase tea supplies, probably. And me? Oh, I was going to walk home, before I heard a rather familiar voice scream my nickname. Oh ****! If she was the one who observed this, I would be screwed, and I really, really didn't want to get screwed over by her right now. It's damn cold right now. Quickly I stuffed Nagato's book into my coat, not wanting her to question why I had such an item in my possession.

"What?" I turned, seeing the amber asseveration of the girl who I really, really did not want to see right now.

Grabbing my scarf, she pulled me close, hitting our foreheads together. "That hurt, damn it!" She, of course, never heard those words come from my mouth, as she had what somebody would call "selective hearing" on what she wanted to apprehend.

"What the hell do you think you're doing with Yuki-chan!"

Stop it, Haruhi, I want to go home. Don't grab me by my scarf and yell "You two are my slaves, so don't do anything other than I tell you to do, you hear me!" so loudly that everybody on the block can hear you, then look at us and assume that I'm in contact with a crazy girl who thinks of other people as beings lower than humans, as things. Please don't.

Her amber eyes showed an intense rendition of her emotions, and I can only assume that what she saw, me giving Nagato a pack of brownies and the reverse a book, she probably thought there was something going on between us. No, Haruhi, there's nothing going on, it's just that what Nagato did a few days ago made me realize I should be more considerate of her. Unfortunately, if I did tell you what happened, you probably wouldn't believe me, like the other time I tried to tell you that aliens, time travelers, and espers actually exist. Oh, yeah, sliders, do, too.

Finally she let me off by rudely pushing me off, her eyes still having the ability to kill. She crossed her arms, then asked me, "Is there anything going on between you two?" She looked like a menace, sounded like a menace, and smelled like one too, so that definitely does not make her one.

"There's nothing going on between us, Haruhi! We were just exchanging things, that's all!"

She looked at me as if I was some imbecile who just found out that forty-two is the answer to all of life's problems.

I really don't feel like whispering "I love you" into her ear right now. It wouldn't be far off from the lie, anyway.

"Hmph!" Looks like she still doesn't believe me. Hopefully closed space doesn't appear and put the world in danger. That's the last thing I want to do, that's to anger her and cause her to recreate the world. I'd rather not employ the sleeping beauty tactic I used the last time that happened.

Still with an uneventful frown, after taking a peek to her left, she continued, "Anyway, meet up in front of the station tomorrow by nine." She walked past me, continuing to order me around, "Don't forget to bring your coats!" Her hands in fists, she stomped powerfully enough to shake the ground marginally, still in a bad mood, I suppose.

Running my hand through my hair, I muttered, "Yare yare," as soon as she was further away. Why did I choose to be involved in Haruhi's doings? She might as well make it rain talking cats tomorrow so we don't have to walk out into the cold.

I sighed. Time to go back home.

"Are you going back?"

Freeze. Nagato? Was that you? Shoot, don't tell me that Haruhi was talking to both of us? Was that why she told us to bring "your coats" rather than "your coat"? Sneaky bastard, running away from Nagato like that. But why would Haruhi have any reason to run away from her? What about Nagato intimidated Haruhi to the point where she decided to leave? When did Nagato come from the store? Why didn't Nagato say anything? How was Nagato able to chase her away, at all? I guess what Koizumi said back then was true, that Nagato did change in some way, and I definitely did see that change, not most definitely, though.

I turned, seeing the all too familiar blank expression that I became accustomed to. "Nagato, how long were you standing there?"

Blinking, she said, "Ninety-six seconds."

Just the cold, hard facts. How would a normal person respond to that question? Enough to see Haruhi yell at you? Then again, Nagato is Nagato, so I wouldn't expect anything less... well, more, that is. A bare minimum response. Usually. Normally she wouldn't be the first person to spark a conversation, either.

"Hey, Nagato... you wouldn't happen to have scared her off, did you?"

Nagato merely stared into my eyes, never giving a reply. If she wasn't going to give a response, then she would probably never give one. Asahina-san's way of telling me she can't answer my question: classified information. Nagato? A complete deep gaze into your eyes. That's it. Either that, or she gives a rather complicated sentence which she doesn't elucidate.

"I'm going back to my house. Do you want to walk back until we have to split?"

She lowered her gaze, her eyes flickering ever so unnoticeably, not that I wasn't able to discern the minuscule change in her expression. Without ever saying anything, she kept her head low, then stepped forward in the direction of her apartment complex. I'll take that as a "yes", Nagato.

Let's go then, shall we?

It's not everyday I walk home with her. Why does this seem familiar? Alone, walking home with Nagato... only when I caught her examining the package of brownies I gave her earlier did I realize something.

"Nagato, you go ahead without me, I have to go buy another pack of brownies!" Otherwise my sister would annoy the hell out of me when I get home.

Nagato, I saw, only gave me a blank expression as she stood in the snow. Was she planning on waiting for me? What the case was, I knew that tomorrow would probably involve Haruhi torturing us with some sort of dodge ball game, or, worse, forcing everybody in the SOS Brigade to look back and say "I love you".

I felt regret at leaving her behind, but I actually care about my sister, to an extent.

Brownies, brownies, brownies, brownies...

There goes another 500 yen. Really, I somehow always end up paying for the SOS Brigade's outings, and now, I find that I'm paying for two packs of brownies, one for my sister, one for Nagato. What has this world come to?

Well, hopefully another person doesn't come along and I won't be so inclined to give that person a pack of brownies.

The automatic doors opened, and the light from the store shone outside, and, there, I saw, for another time, Nagato's figure. Standing still, staring at the entrance, waiting for somebody. She did want to walk home with me, after all. Nagato, it must be lonely in your apartment... who knows what you do in there. Read books, sleep, drink tea, what else? Do you talk to your master? Who else do you talk to?

"Nagato... let's go." She nodded.

I don't remember the last time I walked home with Nagato like this.

She really did change, in one way or another.

Nagato, could it be that you never walked home with somebody else? Did you ever have somebody else walk with you home? Her gaze was aimed straight ahead, yet I had a feeling she knew exactly what was around her. She probably knew I glanced at her, confuzzled, and she probably knew that boy across the street had seen us walking together.

It was cold. Nagato didn't seem affected by the weather. Even if I did lend her my coat, she would probably end up returning it because I would freeze to death. A part of me nagged at myself, telling me to give her my coat, to let chivalry live. The other part of me said that she would be fine, because she's Nagato. A pseudo-alien from some parallel planet or world, disguised as a human — but I definitely saw Nagato as a comrade in the SOS Brigade. She, along with Koizumi and Asahina-san, were all in this together. We're all in this together.

Nagato, you're never alone. You've got everybody else in the SOS Brigade. Don't forget that.

The walk back was silent. I grew accustomed to her reserved outlook, so knowing that she was there walking beside me was enough.

Seriously, I worry about her too often.

I wouldn't have thought about it, but, in the end, we reached it. I felt rather strange, seeing how Nagato walked me home, rather than me walking her home. Shouldn't it be the other way around? That was the thought that ran across my mind as I waved goodbye to her, to which she merely nodded, and closed the door. Something was wrong.

I set the bag of brownies on the kitchen table, and then ran out the door, ignoring my sister's questions. Nagato!

She had already began walking back, that's what I saw. I felt like I would regret this later if I didn't do it now, and rarely did the opportunity present itself. Like letting a girl walk home by herself is something a person should do! I could have locked the door, went up to my room, and started reading the book Nagato lent me, but I cared for her, just like I do the others, even if I don't think of them too highly.

"Nagato! Wait up!" I panted, catching my breath.

A curious look bequested on her face, probably wondering why I came out of the house so shortly after I came in.

"Let me walk you home."

There it was again, that same gesture her eyes took, the same movement of her head, that left me in awe. Nagato, that's emotions for you. You call them internal errors, why so, I do not know, but I promised you that I would get you back if the Integrated Data Thought Entity ever did anything to you.

Just as you protected me all those times, I will do what I can to return the favor.

It was barely a whisper, but I caught it. "Okay." Without looking back, she walked ahead slowly.

Okay it is, then, Nagato.

I don't ever recall walking any person to her home in this world. I guess this is a first.

Again, we walked in silence, the freezing wind threatening to blow me off my feet. Nagato walked as if she was unaffected by the weather, and kept her head low enough so I couldn't see her facial expression. Nagato, what are you feeling right now? I wondered, never having the courage to speak these thoughts.

Soon enough, we arrived, and I had to part with her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Nagato." She acknowledged my words with another nod, shortly after lowering her gaze once again. And, again, I wondered, what she was feeling at the moment.

Nagato, did you want me to walk you home? Did you want me to come with and stay in your apartment for a little while? I didn't know, but looking at the book I brought from my coat pocket, I believe it was best that I go home.

Strangely, the wind had died down, and I was somehow able to make it back home before I froze to death.

My cell phone, which I had left at home, showed that I had about a hundred missed calls, all of them from Haruhi. I sighed. What reason would she have to spam my cell phone with all these voice messages? The fact that she even left a voice message for each call she made left me amazed.

Well, time to listen through them...

After I sat upright in my bed, I pressed the button to hear my messages.

"Kyon, don't forget, if you don't show up tomorrow, there will be heads rolling!"

"Bring your coat. What we're going to do tomorrow will require it."

"Why aren't you picking up? Is something wrong? Where are you right now?"

Letting out a breath of air, I dialed Haruhi's number, and decided it was best to return her call. I didn't want her creating more closed space just because I didn't pick up my phone.

Ring, ring. Ring. Ring, ring, ring.

"Kyon!" Haruhi's tone, as arrogant and self-centered as it was, it sounded much different.

"I'm fine, I got your messages, so don't worry."

She remained silent for a while, until she finally spoke, raising her voice rather loudly. "Don't forget! Tomorrow! At the station!"

Yes ma'am. Click. That was that. So, now, what's next...? Right, Nagato asked me to read her book. I paused at the cover, reading Tales of Norse Mythology, and wondered why Nagato had a habit of reading books, regardless of the genre or subject material.

Yare, yare. Let's just get this over with.

I flipped the cover over, and, there it was, a book mark, with the message "I'll be waiting in the café in front of Kouyouen Station at 8 AM."

Wait, so this means that Nagato knew that Haruhi would call us to meet tomorrow, and Nagato knew herself that she would bump into me by the market? How did she plan everything out so perfectly?

Nagato... sometimes I don't get you at all.

...but if she's calling me out like this, it probably means that she has something important to discuss with me.

Hmm. So what's on the next page? "True and Untrue". Seems interesting.

Author's Notes If you haven't watched the twenty-eight episode anime The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi and the film The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi, you may not catch all of the allusions in this chapter. I haven't read the light novels for this series, so don't expect me to include characters such as Sasaki.

That aside, please be kind enough to leave a few words on how I'm doing.